In recent years, the concept of self-efficacy has garnered attention in educational psychology research on motivation. Within an academic context, academic self-efficacy (ASE) reflects learners' belief in their ability to achieve educational goals. However, most research has focused on traditional face-to-face classroom settings, with little exploration in distance learning environments like online and e-learning. The current review aims to update a previous study (Yokoyama, 2019) and examine differences in online learning types: asynchronous, synchronous, and blended learning. The study's findings reveal that in mixed environments combining synchronous and asynchronous elements, or in blended settings merging face-to-face classes with asynchronous learning, ASE positively impacts academic performance akin to traditional face-to-face classes. However, in asynchronous online learning environments, ASE's influence on academic performance might be slightly weaker compared to synchronous learning environments. The paper will subsequently discuss the pedagogical implications derived from these results.

Interaction between nutraceuticals and antibiotics has attracted increasing interest as a potential approach to improve antibiotic efficacy. This scoping review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the existing literature on the effects of nutraceuticals on antibiotic efficacy. An information specialist executed a multi-database search following the PRISMA-2020 guidelines to find articles published between 1 January 2013, and 1 April 2023. The addition of nutraceuticals to antibiotic treatments has shown promising results, for urinary tract infections, the supplementation of vitamin E alongside antibiotics significantly reduced the frequency of fever and urinary symptoms. In patients with hidradenitis suppurativa, the combination of MI, folic acid, and liposomal magnesium improved the efficacy of concurrent therapies and metabolic profiles. Immune manipulation with a nutraceutical alongside antibiotics proved effective and safe in reducing symptoms over time. These findings highlight the potential of nutraceutical addition to antibiotics in improving patient outcomes.

One of the most common strategies in managing insect pests is repellence. This technology comes from early farming practices. The worldwide evaluation aims to evaluate the current state of research and development on the repellent properties of various botanical products to incorporate them reliably into pest management systems. As a result, many countries are returning to plant-based repellants to combat pest insects and vertebrates. Olfaction and gustatory action are the two mechanisms used by plant-derived repellents. It can be classified by their modes of action, including genuine repellents, attraction inhibitors, contact irritants, antifeedants or deterrents and visual barriers. Ecologists are concerned about the potential harm contemporary pest control methods may pose to vertebrate wildlife. Therefore, caution is needed in agricultural settings when treating major pest groups, such as beetles, whiteflies, fruit flies, honey bees and vertebrate pests. Botanicals have significant advantages, being eco-friendly, non-phytotoxic and safe for both the agroecosystem and the environment. In modern agriculture, synthetic pesticides or repellents are crucial in helping farmers control pests. However, it may harm non-target insects, cause significant environmental contamination and affect human health. The current review revisits the urgent and comprehensive needs that must be met to conduct additional research on both known and unknown plants that contain compounds that repel pestiferous taxa throughout agroecosystems. These plants have the potential to be widely utilized as botanical biopesticides, but current research is increasingly focused on their bio-repellent properties, both globally and in India.

Abstract This guidance document is intended to assist the applicant in preparing and presenting an application, as foreseen in Article 7.6 of Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003, for the authorisation of additives for use in animal nutrition. It specifically covers the assessment of the efficacy of feed additives.

Stored grains are an integral part of human food. However, all such stored grains are affected by a variety of insects. Across several countries all over the world, insect pests cause significant harm to stockpiled grain crops, resulting in large post-harvest wastage, spoiling, and decreased market demands, resulting in a massive financial catastrophe. Food loss prevention during post-harvest stockpiling is of significant economic relevance. Although efficient and dependable, various disadvantages of synthetic chemicals, such as their negative impacts on both human beings and the environment, have prompted agriculturists to explore an alternative strategy that is potent, eco-friendly, and affordable. As a result, proper management of stored product infestations is required to protect stored grains from pest species. Insecticidal capabilities are reported to be present in a variety of bioactive phytochemical components. They might be used as an alternative to chemical pesticides. According to the current studies, bioactive phytochemical substances might be a potential source of novel insecticides. As a result, plant-derived insecticidal phytochemicals have significant potential. This study concentrates on the phytochemistry and mode of action of bioactive phytochemical constituents for stored grain insect pest management.

Mesenchymal stem/stromal cell-derived small extracellular vesicles (MSC-sEVs) are promising therapeutic agents. In this study, we investigated how the administration route of MSC-sEVs affects their therapeutic efficacy in a mouse model of bleomycin (BLM)-induced skin scleroderma (SSc). We evaluated the impact of topical (TOP), subcutaneous (SC), and intraperitoneal (IP) administration of MSC-sEVs on dermal fibrosis, collagen density, and thickness. All three routes of administration significantly reduced BLM-induced fibrosis in the skin, as determined by Masson’s Trichrome staining. However, only TOP administration reduced BLM-induced dermal collagen density, with no effect on dermal thickness observed for all administration routes. Moreover, SC, but not TOP or IP administration, increased anti-inflammatory profibrotic CD163⁺ M2 macrophages. These findings indicate that the administration route influences the therapeutic efficacy of MSC-sEVs in alleviating dermal fibrosis, with TOP administration being the most effective, and this efficacy is not mediated by M2 macrophages. Since both TOP and SC administration target the skin, the difference in their efficacy likely stems from variations in MSC-sEV delivery in the skin. Fluorescence-labelled TOP, but not SC MSC-sEVs when applied to skin explant cultures, localized in the stratum corneum. Hence, the superior efficacy of TOP over SC MSC-sEVs could be attributed to this localization. A comparison of the proteomes of stratum corneum and MSC-sEVs revealed the presence of >100 common proteins. Most of these proteins, such as filaggrin, were known to be crucial for maintaining skin barrier function against irritants and toxins, thereby mitigating inflammation-induced fibrosis. Therefore, the superior efficacy of TOP MSC-sEVs over SC and IP MSC-sEVs against SSc is mediated by the delivery of proteins to the stratum corneum to reinforce the skin barrier.

Protein quantification is an important tool for a wide range of biological applications. The most common methods include the Lowry, bicinchoninic acid (BCA) and Coomassie Bradford assays. Despite their wide applicability, the mechanisms of action imply that these methods may not be ideal for large transmembrane proteins due to the proteins’ integration in the plasma membrane. Here, we investigate this problem by assessing the efficacy and applicability of these three common protein quantification methods on a candidate transmembrane protein: Na, K-ATPase (NKA). We compared these methods with an ELISA, which we newly developed and describe here for the quantification of NKA. The use of a relative standard curve allows this ELISA to be easily adapted to other proteins and across the animal kingdom. Our results revealed that the three conventional methods significantly overestimate the concentration of NKA compared with the ELISA. This is due to the samples containing a heterogeneous mix of proteins, including a significant amount of non-target proteins. Further, by applying the protein concentrations determined by the different methods to in vitro assays, we found that variation in the resulting data was consistently low when the assay reactions were prepared based on concentrations determined from the ELISA.

Abstract Background Zinc nanoparticles (NPs) are characterized by high bioavailability, small size, and high absorbability. The purpose of this experiment was to determine the effect of Zn-NP feed supplementation on ruminal fermentation, microbiota, and histopathology in lambs. In vitro (24 h), short-term (STE, 28 d), and long-term (LTE, 70 d) experiments were performed. The lambs in STE were fed a basal diet (BD) composed of 350 g/d ground barley and 700 g/d meadow hay (Control), BD enriched with ZnO-NPs (80 mg Zn/kg of diet, ZnO-NPs), and BD enriched with Zn phosphate-based NPs (80 mg Zn/kg of diet, ZnP-NP). The in vitro gas production technique was used in incubated rumen fluid from STE. The lambs in LTE were fed BD (Control), BD enriched with ZnO-NPs (40 mg Zn/kg of diet, ZnO-NP40), BD enriched with ZnO-NPs (80 mg Zn/kg of diet, ZnO-NP80) and BD enriched with ZnO (80 mg Zn/kg of diet, ZnO-80). Results After 24 h of incubation, dry matter digestibility was higher for ZnO-NP and ZnP-NP substrates than the control in an in vitro experiment (P < 0.001). The total bacterial population in the STE was lower (P < 0.001) in the ZnP-NP group than in the control and ZnO-NP groups, but the protozoan populations were not significantly different. The ammonia-N concentration in LTE was lowest in the ZnO-NP80 group (P = 0.002), but the activities of carboxymethyl cellulase (P < 0.001) and xylanase (P = 0.002) were higher in the ZnO-NP40, ZnO-NP80, and ZnO-80 groups than in the control group. Morphological observation after STE and LTE revealed histological changes (e.g. inflammation of the epithelium or edema of the connective tissue) in the rumen of lambs. Conclusion Zn-NP supplementation up to 70 d improved feed-use efficiency and influenced ammonia-N concentration and activities of hydrolases in the rumen. The active ruminal fermentation affected the health of the ruminal papillae and epithelium in the lambs, regardless of the application's form, dose, or duration. However, by affecting rumen microbial fermentation, Zn-NPs could alter fermentation patterns, thereby increasing the capacity of host rumen epithelial cells to transport short-chain fatty acids.

This study aimed to identify and characterize actinobacteria and rhizobia with plant growth-promoting (PGP) traits from chickpea plants. Out of 275 isolated bacteria, 25 actinobacteria and 5 chickpea rhizobia showed 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deaminase (ACCd) activity. Selected chickpea rhizobia were tested for their nodulating capacity under sterile and non-sterile soil conditions. Further screening on salinity and PGP traits identified three promising isolates: Nocardiopsis alba KG13, Sinorhizobium meliloti KGCR17, and Bacillus safensis KGCR11. These three isolates were analyzed for their compatibility and made into a consortium (Consortium 1). This along with another consortium made from our salinity-tolerant lab strains Chryseobacterium indologenes ICKM4 and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia ICKM15 (Consortium 2) was compared in planta studies. Trials revealed that Consortium 2 showed significant (p < 0.05) tolerance and on above-ground, below-ground traits and yield components than Consortium 1. Moreover, both consortia induced nodulation in saline-stressed plants, alleviated electrolyte leakage (2.3 vs. 0.4 in ICCV 2; 1.8 vs. 0.6 in JG 11), and increased chlorophyll content. Histochemical staining indicated reduced oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation in consortium-treated plants under salinity stress. Further, gene expression studies revealed mixed patterns, with up-regulation of antioxidant and transporter genes observed in consortium-treated plants, particularly in Consortium 2. Overall, Consortium 2 showed better gene expression levels for antioxidant and transporter genes, indicating its superior efficacy in mitigating salinity stress in chickpea plants. This study provides valuable insights into the potential use of these microbial isolates in improving chickpea productivity by enhancing salinity tolerance.

This study aimed to compare the longitudinal efficacy between chlorhexidine gluconate (CHX; 0.12%) and cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) in reducing oral biofilm pathogenicity, utilizing a quantitative light-induced fluorescence-digital (QLF-D) camera. Oral microcosm biofilms were developed for 2 days on 57 hydroxyapatite disks. These biofilms were treated with distilled water for 1 min, CHX for 1 min, and CAP for 2 min over the course of 6 days. The red fluorescence intensities of the biofilms were measured using a QLF-D and expressed as pre- and post-treatment red/green ratios (Ratio_R/G). The bacterial viability (ratio of the green-stained area to the total stained area, Ratio_G/G+R) was calculated using live/dead bacterial staining; the total and aciduric bacterial counts were determined. A significant intergroup difference was found between Ratio_R/G changes according to the treatment period (<i>p</i> < 0.001). The Ratio_R/G observed within the CAP-treated group was significantly lower compared with the CHX-treated group at every interval of measurement (<i>p</i> < 0.001). The CAP-treated group also exhibited a lower Ratio_G/G+R and more weakened bacterial aggregation compared with the CHX-treated group (<i>p</i> < 0.05). In the group treated with CAP, the counts of both total and aciduric bacteria were substantially reduced compared with the DW group, with a statistically significant reduction (<i>p</i> < 0.001). Therefore, CAP may be more effective in minimizing oral microcosm biofilm pathogenicity than 0.12% CHX.